Automatic wire-reel.



.No. 880,114. PATENTED FEB 25, 1908.

c. E. WALLGRBBN.

AUTOMATIC WIRE REEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR 30 1907 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES PATENTED FBB.25, 190s.

H N R BB RR L w A I WT .A M m U A A 1 0 8 8 0 N APPLICATION FILED APR-30. 1907.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES No. 880,114. PATENTED P122325, 1908.

0. E.-WALLGREEN.

AUTOMATIC WIRE REEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1907.

- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES [NVENTOR W vflWw/ym fa /3M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL EDWIN WALLGREEN, OF ADAMS, NORTH DAKOTA.

AUTOMATIC WIRE-REEL.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL EDWIN WALL- GREEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Adams, in the county of Walsh and State of NorthDakota, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticWire-Reels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in automatic wirereels, and my object is to provide means for transportmg a reel andwmdmg wire thereon, or paying the same therefrom.

'A further object is to provide means for rotating the reel in eitherdirection.

A further object is to provide means for positively driving the reel.

A further object is to provide means for yieldingly mounting the reelupon the carrying frame, and a still further object is to provide meansfor releasing the reel, so that the same may be removed from itssupporting frame.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this application,Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved reel and carrying frametherefor. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a rear elevationof the same. Fig. 4 is a detail view partly in section of the reel,showing means of detaching the same from its supporting frame. Fig. 5 isa side elevation of the reversing gear for the reel, showing partsthereof in section, Fig. 6 is a detail view partly in section showing aportion of the supporting mechanism for the reel. Fig. 7 is a detailsectional view, as seen on line 7-7, Fig .3, and Fig. 8 is a detailedsectional view as seen on line 88 Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout theseveral views, 1 indicates a framewhich is preferably U- shaped, and has secured to the lower ends thereofoppositely disposed tubular sockets 2, which are fixed to the frame, andreceive supporting axles 3, upon which are mounted suitable carryingwheels 4.

Rotatably mounted on the axles 3 and between the sockets 2 and carryingwheels 4 are bevel gears 5, the hubs 6 of which are provided with teeth7, which are adapted to engage similar teeth 8 on the hubs of the Wheelsto form a clutch, whereby the bevel gears will be driven in onedirection when the teeth on the wheels are in engagement with the teethon. the bevel gears, and in order to normally hold the teeth on thewheels in engagement with the teeth on the bevel gears, I dispose aroundthe extended ends of the axles 3 springs 9, one end of which engages theouter end of the wheel hub, while the opposite end thereof engages apropelling frame 10 fixed to the ends of the axles, thereby exertinginward pressure on the wheels at all times.

The lower ends of the frame 1 are directed inwardly to form horizontallydisposed ledges 11, on which are mounted guides 12, said guides havinglongitudinally extended ways 13 therein, in which are mounted heads 14the upper and lower edges of which are tapered from the center of thehead to each edge thereof, and the bearing faces of the ways 13 arecorrespondingly constructed, so that when the heads are seated in theways, said heads will be held against lateral movement.

Each of the heads is provided with an opening 15, in which are adaptedto take pivot pins 16 carried by a reel 17. The reel 17 is constructedfrom the usual, or any preferred form of disks 18, which are securedtogether by means of a tubular axle 19, the pivot pins 16 being seatedin the tubular axle and adapted to protrude a sufficient distancethrough the disks 18 .to enter the openings 15 in the heads 14, and asthe reel proper snugly fits between the guides 12 the pivot pins 16 arelongitudinally movable in the axle, so that they can be drawn into theaxle and the outer ends thereof removed from engagement with the heads14, so that the reel can be quickly inserted or removed from position.

The pivot pins 16 are normally held in their outward position by meansof springs 20, said springs being spiral and surrounding the pivot pins,one end of the springs being seated against a portion of the axle 19,while the opposite ends thereof are fixed to the pivot pins, in whichposition the springs will direct outward pressure at all times on thepivot pins. A cable 21 is extended longitudinally through the axle 19and is secured to the pivot pins 16 in any preferred manner, as bydirecting the ends of the cable through openings in the inner ends ofthe pins and twisting the free. ends of the cable around the remainingportion of the cable to form loops, and in order to readily move thepivot pins longitudinally into the axle 19, an auxiliary cable 21 issecured at one end to the cable 21 and substantially at its longitudinalcenter, the auxiliary cable 21 extending to one end of the axle 19 andthrough a bore 22 formed at the intersection of the axle with one of thedisks 18, and then upwardly to the outer edge of the disks, so that theauxiliary cable may be readily grasped and a pull given thereon, and inorder to cause both of the pivot pins 16 to move inwardly simultaneously, the auxiliary cable is passed over a pin 23 extending laterallythrough the axle andbetween the connection point of the cable 21 andauxiliary cable 21 and that end of the axle to which the auxiliary cableextends, by which construction the two ends of the cable 21 will bemoved towards each other when a pull is given to the auxiliary cable 21In order to obviate any sudden jerks or jars upon the reel when the wireis being wound thereon, or paid therefrom, I mount auxiliary heads 2 1in the ways 13, and adjustably secure the same therein, by directing athreaded bar 25 through a threaded opening in the end walls of theguides 12, and between the heads 14 and auxiliary heads 24, I mount atension spring 26, and by moving the bars inwardly or outwardly, thetension of the spring will be accordingly increased or decreased.

The reel 17 is driven from the bevel gears 5 through the medium ofdriving shafts 27, said shafts extending through the tubular sockets 2and the inner ends of the axles 3, and are held against longitudinalmovement by placing collars 28 thereon andat each side of the tubularsockets 2.

Longitudinally movably mounted. on the driving shafts 27 are oblongframes 29, on each of which are rotatably mounted beveled pinions 30 and31" at each end of the frame, said 'inions being adapted to mesh withthe beve gears '5, and thereby rotate the driving shafts 27, saidpinions being secured to the driving shafts by the usual form of feather32, thereby causing the driving shaft 27 to rotate with the pinions andat the same time allow the pinions and frame supporting the same to movelongitudinally on the driving Shafts.

Secured to one end of the driving shafts 27 are friction pulleys 33,which are adapted to engage the outer faces of the disks 18 and rotatethe reel when power is applied to the bevel gears 5. I

The object in providing the bevel gears at opposite ends of the drivingshafts 27 is to enable the operator to reverse the rotation of the reelwhen desired and it will be seen that when the beveled pinions 30 are inmesh with levers 34, and it will be seenthat when the levers 34 areswung from side to side, the frames 29 will be correspondingly movedlongitudinally and the pinions moved into or out of engagement with thebevel gears 5. The levers 34 are provided. with the usual or anypreferred form of spring operated latches 37, which enter depressions 38in the outer peri heries of the tubular sockets 2 and holdthe evers intheir adjusted position. When wire is being wound on the reel 17., thepinions 31 are moved into engagement with the gears 5, so that when thedevice is moved forward towards the strand of wire, .the reel willreadily wind the wire thereon, and when it is desired to unwind the wirefrom the reel, or pay out the same, the levers 34 are shifted to movethe pinions 30-into engagement with the bevel gears 5, which will resultin rotatin the reel in the opposite direction. It wil thus be seen thatI have provided a very convenient means for transporting the reels ofwire from place-to place and stretching the same along the line offences, or for winding the wire on the reel after the wire has beenremoved from position on the fence. post. It will also be seen that Ihave provided'positive means for rotating the reel to causethe wire towind thereon.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the'class described, the combination with a frame,having supporting wheels therefor; of a reel, guides on said frame,heads in said guides, having openings, pivot pins carried by saidreeladapted to enter said openings and pivotally mount the reel on theframe, means to normally hold said pivot pins in said openings, andmeans carried by the reel to move said pivot pins longitudinally,whereby thereel may beremoved from the frame.

2. In a device of the class described, the

ion

to the auxiliary cable, the pivot pins will be moved into the axle, andout of engagement with the openings in the heads.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a framehaving guides thereon, and waysin said guides; of a reel adapted toextend between said guides, heads in said guides having openings therethrough, a hollow axle for said reel, pivot pins mounted in said axleand adapted to engage the openings in said heads to form a support forsaid reel, springs in said axle adapted to hold said pivot pinsextended, a cable secured between said pivot pins an auxiliary cablesecured to the first mentioned cable and extended beyond one end ofsaidaxle, whereby when a pull is made on the auxiliary cable, the pivot pinswill be moved inwardly, and means to yieldingly mount the heads in saidguides.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with aframe axleson said frame, and supporting wheels on said axles; of guides on saidframe, a reel rotatably mounted between said guides, bevel gears on saidaxles, driving shafts carried by said axles, pinions on said shafts,means to move said pinions longitudinally on said driving shafts wherebythe rotation of the driving shafts will be reversed and friction pulleyscarried by said driving shafts adapted to engage and rotate the reel.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame,tubular sockets secured to said frame, axles fixed in said sockets andsupporting wheels on said axles, of a reel, guides for said reel meansto mount said reel between the guides, driving shafts extended laterallythrough said tubular sockets and axles, gears on said axles, pinions onsaid driving shafts ada ted to alternately engage said'gears, where ythe rotation of the driving shafts will be reversed, a frame secured tosaid pinions, means to move said frames longitudinally whereby thepinions at one-end of the shafts will be moved into engagement with thegears and the pinions at the opposite ends of the shafts moved out ofengagement with the gears, friction pulleys on said shafts adapted toengage and rotate the reel, and means to engage said bevel gears withthe supporting wheels.

6. In a device of the class described the combination with a frame andsupporting means therefor; of an axle carried by said frame, bevelgears, means to rotatably mount said gears on said axle, driving shafts,pinions on said shafts, frames to move said pinions longitudinally onsaid shafts, levers pivotallysecured to the first mentioned frame, meansto attach said levers to the second mentioned frames, whereby when thelevers are operated the second mentioned frames will be movedlongitudinally on the shafts and the pinions thereon directed into orout of engagement with said gears, a reel carried by said firstmentioned frame, and friction pulleys on said-shafts adapted to engageand drive said reel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARL EDWIN WALLGREEN.

Witnesses:

O. A. JEGLUM, G. J. HANSEN.

